@WashedOutGundamPilot
I had a talk about this recently. My sister fell in love with a lord of the rings mug. It had elven motives, and was esthetically pleasing. She turned it around and..... there as a ring, and a "lord of the rings logo". Someone thought, that it was a great idea to put a logo on a thematically formed merch, and it completely ruined the illusion. It was no longer a mug from middle earth. It was just another piece of pointless merch.
@LukeAlmighty @WashedOutGundamPilot I've got a LotR whiskey glass that is engraved with the One Ring engraving. only actual logo on it is a small "copyright bullshit" on the bottom of the glass.
@LukeAlmighty Oh yeah, I've had those meetings before. Art guy nails it out of the park, and the boomers come in and say "well what's the point if it doesn't have our brand on it, people will never be able to find it!!!!"
not realizing it's way better to have obscure branding so it drives actual interest and lasting cultural value